The preparation and tribological characteristics of phosphorylated 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane self-assembled film

Thin films deposited on the phosphonate 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES) self-assembled monolayer (SAM) were prepared on the hydroxylated silicon substrate by self-assembling process from specially formulated solution. Chemical compositions of the films were detected by X-ray photoelectron spectrometry (XPS). The thickness of the films was determined with an ellipsometer, and the morphologies and nanotribological properties of the samples were analyzed by means of atomic force microscopy (AFM). As a result, the target film was obtained and the thin films were deposited on the silicon substrate. It was also found that the thin films showed the lowest friction and adhesion followed by APTES-SAM and phosphorylated APTES-SAM, while silicon substrate showed high friction and adhesion. Microscale scratch/wear studies clearly showed that thin films were much more scratch/wear resistant than the other samples. The superior friction reduction and scratch/wear resistance of thin films were attributed to low work of adhesion of non-polar terminal groups and the strong bonding strength between the films and the substrate.